The primary purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between observed practice behaviors consistent with conceptions of deliberate practice (Lehmann & Ericsson, 1997) and the performance achievement of collegiate wind players (N = 55). The secondary purpose of this study was to explore relationships among observed practice behaviors, performance achievement, and individual differences in impulsivity and achievement goal motivation. Participants completed: (1) a 23-minute practice session; (2) pre- and post-test measures of performance achievement; (3) a researcher-adaptation of the Elliot and McGregor (2001) 2 x 2 Achievement Goal Questionnaire; (4) the Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire for Adults (Eysenck, Pearson, Easting, & Allsop, 1985); (5) the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (1985); and (6) a researcher-constructed practice habit questionnaire. Reliability results for all measures and observations were acceptable. Results indicated: (1) significant positive correlations between performance achievement and the observed behaviors ‘repeat two to four measure chunk,’ ‘whole-part-whole,’ ‘slowing,’ ‘chaining,’ and ‘use of metronome;’ (2) significant negative correlations between performance achievement and the behaviors ‘varying pitch’ and ‘singing, whistling, buzzing;’ (3) a significant increase in performance achievement from pre- to post-test with less impulsive participants having higher scores at both points in time; and (4) several significant correlations between impulsiveness and achievement goal motivation sub-scales and observed practice behaviors.
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